


What's Best For Tony

by magos186



Category: NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Bashing, Ziva David Bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-19
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 18:57:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5016364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magos186/pseuds/magos186
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, you have to do what's right for you, regardless of how anyone else feels. When Tony finds out he was purposely left out of a team dinner, a fact which the whole team laughs about in his face, he decides to do what's best for himself. This time, there's nothing to run away from, but maybe he'll eventually find something to run to. AU-tag to 3.12 Boxed In. Ziva bashing. You have been warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some Ziva bashing throughout the story.
> 
> I do not own NCIS nor make any profit from this. I just love Tony.

Tony watched as the team stood around laughing at his expense. He hid his hurt behind a mask of indifference and waited for them to finish. When it didn't look like they were going to, he discreetly took out his cell phone and called himself. "DiNozzo," he said, picking up the office phone. "Uh huh…uh huh. Be right up." He hung up the phone and stood. "Have to take a rain check on that dinner Ziva. I have a meeting."

He turned and hurried up the stairs before anyone had a chance to comment. He walked into the director's outer office. "Hey Cynthia. Is the director available?" He asked, not noticing her door was partially open.

"Come on in," the director said as she fully opened the door. He followed her into the office and closed the door behind him, before walking over to sit on the other side of her desk. "What can I do for you Agent DiNozzo?"

"Have you ever read my file Director?"

"Yes, I have. It makes for some interesting reading. There are even a few commendations from the previous director and Gibbs himself. You are one of our best agents."

"Thank you ma'am. You know then how long I've been a cop, how long I've been an investigator, how long I've worked with Gibbs. You also know that I've never stayed anywhere longer than two years, yet I've been at NCIS for almost four. I truly enjoy being an NCIS field agent and I have greatly enjoyed being on Gibbs' team. However I would like a transfer."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Jenny asked shocked. Of all the people on the MCRT, she expected McGee would be the one to ask for a transfer; never DiNozzo, who had the reputation of being Gibbs' lap dog. She'd read the reports from when the two of them were partners together. A team of two after Blackadder went back to the FBI. They stayed a team of two for an entire year before Agent Todd came aboard.

"I'd like a transfer from the MCRT. I know that you're new to the position of director, but may I speak freely without repercussions?"

"Go ahead. I'd like to know what you're thinking."

"I am the senior field agent on that team. As such, any new personnel choices are made by me and approved by Gibbs, although we both wanted Kate to work with us. The point is that we pick our own team. It's always been this way since I started with Gibbs. When we lost Kate—" Tony stopped talking for a minute. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to reign in his emotions. "When that happened, both of us agreed that we'd be better off a three man team. We were fine when it was just the two of us, and we knew that we didn't need a replacement agent. Then you became director and shoved someone onto our team without our approval. It would be understandable; at least, if she was an agent, however she's not. Mossad has no place working major crimes. She is not an investigator. She is an assassin. We already have one Probie, we do not need another. Since you shoved her off on us, she has been arrogant and extremely disrespectful. I am her superior and she is to listen to me, however she has done nothing but undermine me since she got here.

"I know what she's doing. She's likely put together profiles on our entire team and I'm sure mine is that of a lazy playboy. She has no notion of my skills or experience. She questions my authority at every turn and does not listen when I try to help her learn the job. I do not trust her. She is trying to ingratiate herself with the members of our team and they seem to have all fallen for it. In my case, she's clearly been trying to seduce me, but I'd rather eat my own arm then sleep with her.

"We weren't just a team director. We were a family. I lost my sister just a few short months ago. Our family has had each other to rely on to help us heal, but she's come in here and is tearing that family apart. And I'm done with it. I currently have 26 stitches in my arm from being shot. She has been telling everyone that I cut my arm on one of the boxes we used for cover in the fire fight. I do not trust her. I cannot work with her. You put her on our team for whatever the hell reason was going through your head at the time. She doesn't belong on it. If you wanted her to work for the agency, you should have put her in Intel where her contacts will actually be useful. Gibbs said you put her with us because you want her to learn from him. Well guess what? Gibbs isn't a single agent. He already has a team and he doesn't need an apprentice. But at this point, I don't care anymore. They all can and clearly will do whatever the hell they want and I'm just done. So I'd like a transfer or I will resign. I have had multiple job offers from the other alphabets over the years. Assistant Director Morrow keeps trying to recruit me over to Homeland."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary. Can you give me a few days to come up with a list of available positions?"

"Of course, Director. If you don't mind, while you're doing that, I'd like to take four days sick leave."

"Because of your arm?"

"Because I had the plague a few months ago and spending an entire day locked in a cold damp box is dangerous for my health. I'm meeting my doctor in the morning to get checked out."

"I'll let Agent Gibbs know about the sick leave. Tomorrow's Wednesday so I'll even give your team the weekend off so you have a few extra days to rest. Be back in my office at 7am on Monday morning and we'll discuss your options."

"Thank you ma'am," Tony said as he stood. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep this confidential for now."

"That won't be a problem Agent DiNozzo."

"Thank you. Have a good night Director."


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Saturday rolled around, Tony was bored out of his mind. Both his refrigerator and freezer were full of individual Tupperware meals, breads, pizzas, and he had an array of Italian pastries made as well. It was hard to do some of it one handed, but he was determined. When the going gets tough, the Italians get cooking…or baking…or both, in Tony's case. He'd always enjoyed cooking. When he was a kid, not long after his mother died, his father hired an Italian chef. He spent a lot of time in the kitchen, Giuseppe teaching him everything he knew from how to make pasta to cannoli shells. If he wanted to, he could open his own restaurant or bakery. In fact, that was something he often thought about doing when he finally retired from the field.

For now though, he needed someone to talk to…someone to tell him he wasn't crazy or being a coward for wanting to leave "Team Trustworthy." That pissed him off more than anything. They didn't know this chick from Eve and all of them were so willing to just let her in. He couldn't do it. He was a cop and a cop always trusts their instincts. And his instincts told him that Ziva David was not trustworthy; especially because she could not follow the orders of her superiors. Although that inability probably came with the territory of having her father as her boss.

The beeping of his cell phone pulled him from his thoughts. He flipped it open to reveal a text message from Abby. _"Hey Tonyboy. I need to talk to you. Call me."_ Of all the people on Gibbs' team, it was Abby's actions that hurt the most. He knew McGee would have relished the thought of being included in something Tony was left out of. He also knew that it wasn't hard to believe Gibbs would have gone to Ziva's. After all, they seemed to have some deep connection. It probably had something to do with the fact that Ziva killed Ari to save Gibbs. No one else knew that. The official report said his boss was the one to pull the trigger, but Tony's investigative skills were impeccable.

_"Don't ignore me DiNozzo. Call me,"_ came the next text from Abby. He never expected Abby to act the way she did. That smug little smile on her face as they all rubbed in the fact Tony had missed a team event. Abby was his best friend. They had been so close for so long. It took them about a month to warm up to each other when he first started at NCIS, but since then, they'd always been there for each other. They grew even closer when they lost Kate. She was their sister. The two went to church regularly to light a candle and pray a novena for her. They made a pact after she died that no matter what happened, they'd never go a day without talking. If they got into a fight, they'd work their issues out before the day was over. He hadn't actually broken the pact…he'd texted her on the first sick day and told her he wasn't feeling well, but not to worry because Brad was taking care of him. And that was true. Brad had run several tests over the past few days, but it looked like Tony had survived the experience with just a head cold. He was under strict orders to inform Brad immediately if a cough developed. He was also under orders to do a nebulizer treatment every night as well as breathing exercises every morning, but that had more to do with the smoke inhalation. He'd done as ordered as well as rested, but by mid-Friday he couldn't take it anymore and had begun his cook-a-thon.

Suddenly someone knocked on his door. He wasn't expecting company so he had no idea who it could be. He was sorely tempted to ignore it, just pretend he wasn't home and the person would go away. But there was always a chance they'd come back later. So instead of ignoring it, he heaved himself off the couch and made his way to the door. He opened it without looking in the peep-hole. The chain was on, so if someone wanted to break in, they'd have to do at least some work.

"Anthony DiNozzo, how dare you ignore me!" Abby shouted as soon as the door was cracked.

"I'm not ignoring you Abs. I told you I was sick."

"And I've left you alone for the past few days so you could rest, but I needed to see you for myself. Now open up and let me in. I brought you soup."

"I hope you didn't bring a lot," he said as he closed the door, removed the chain, and opened it again. "I have enough food to last me a month."

"And just who did all the cooking?" She asked as she made her way to his kitchen.

"I did. I got bored," he replied as he followed her, plopping himself down on a stool at the breakfast bar.

"So are you okay?" She asked as she put the container of soup down on the counter. "What did Brad say?"

"It's just a head cold. I'm fine."

Abby sat down on the stool next to him, forcing him to turn so they were looking at each other and she took his hand in hers. "Tony, I'm sorry. And don't even spout the rule at me because you're my best friend and it's not a sign of weakness if you're my friend."

"What are you sorry about then?"

"I'm sorry I—we—I teased you about missing Ziva's party. When I looked in your eyes, I saw how hurt you were. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. And the only reason I can think of that you were hurt is because you didn't know about it. But Ziva wouldn't do that right? I mean she can't be that mean can she? But then that got me thinking that we don't really know her that well. We've all just sort of accepted her place on the team, but she doesn't know how to be on a team. She's a lone wolf and she's definitely not an investigator and Kate was great at it. She learned so much from you and Gibbs and I don't know why the director would replace an investigator with an assassin. It doesn't make sense. Though I'm sure she had her reasons, but I—"

"Abby," Tony interrupted, "Breathe." Abby took a deep breath and smiled shyly.

"Right, breathing, okay. I really am sorry Tony. I didn't know she didn't invite you."

"It's alright Abs. It just made me realize something."

"I'm scared to ask, but what is it?"

"That it's time for me to leave," he said softly. Before he could explain further, he had his arms full as Abby tried to squeeze the life out of him, although she was careful not to squeeze his injured arm.

"But you can't leave. The team needs you. I need you. We only lost Kate a couple months ago. Who's going to be there for me when I have nightmares about it? Who's going to go clubbing with me just to make sure I get home safely and I'm not drugged by some psycho? Who's going to light a candle with me every week? Who's going to watch movies with me all day and stay up talking all night? Who's going to cook for me on the weekends or bring me a brownie whenever I'm having a bad day?"

"I'll still be there for you, no matter what. It doesn't matter if I'm in DC or on the other side of the world. I'll always be here for you Abs. You'll find someone else to keep you safe when you go clubbing. We can still stay up all night and talk. I'll mail you care packages of desserts if you want. But this is something I need to do."

"Just tell me why," Abby said as she moved back to her own stool, still holding onto Tony's hand.

"I don't trust Ziva. With this job, trust is everything and if I can't trust her to have my back, one of us will get hurt. And with my track record it will probably be me. At this point, I'm not sure I trust McGee either. I actually was shot. It was a through and through, but it took twenty-six stitches to repair the damage. Ziva told everyone it was a scratch. McGee actually believed her. If he doesn't believe me about being shot in the arm, what happens next time I get hurt? What if he's there when it happens and could have prevented it, but didn't because he won't listen to me? They don't respect me Abs. Tim hasn't for a while now…not since Ziva came. I'm just tired of it all. It's time I start to do things for me again. I've let my career stall because I was happy where I was. I'm not happy there anymore."

"What do you mean you let your career stall? You're a senior field agent."

"And I've been a senior field agent since six months after I joined NCIS. When I first became a cop, I worked my ass off to get a gold shield. All I wanted was to be a detective and I became one. I was one of the youngest cops to ever become a detective. I was driven. I'm not anymore…at least, not in terms of my job. I did just finish another degree."

"Really? How many does this make?"

"Four masters, one bachelor's. I'm trying to decide if I want to go for a doctorate in any of them."

"What are they now?"

"Physical education, film, criminology, computer science, and I just finished my bachelor's in forensic science."

"Damn Tony! I wish I had a photographic memory too," she said with a pout.

"Spending five years on an accelerated course at a military academy where I was able to complete a lot of college level courses helped too."

"Does anyone know just how smart you really are? Aside from me, of course."

"You, Ducky, Gibbs, and my accountant, although I did get all the necessary paperwork together to be added to my personnel file. I'm handing it in on Monday when I meet with the director. She's going to give me a list of open positions."

"There's nothing I can do to change your mind?" Abby asked sadly.

"You know I love you Abs. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. But this is something I need to do for me. It's time I find a place where I truly fit. I'll call, I'll write, I'll visit. You won't lose me. I promise," Tony said as he used his good arm to pull Abby back into a hug. When he felt her arms go around him, he knew she got it. She might not like it, but at least she understood.

"You'll always be my Tonyboy."

"And you'll always be my Mistress of the Dark."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I had planned to have Tony talk to Paula in the last chapter. While I don't like them as a couple, I do think they're okay as friends. She's very career driven and she'd be a good choice for Tony to discuss his options with. But then just watching the interaction between Tony and Abby in the Legends, and Semper Fi, I wanted her to back him up. 
> 
> Here's a little more back story:  
> As for Tony's degrees: In college he double majored in phys ed and film. When Brad broke his leg, it took him nearly a year and a half to heal and another 6 months to get back in shape. So during the two years he recovered, he had nothing better to do and got his degrees in criminology and computer science. When he started at NCIS and noticed how prevalent forensics were for their job, he decided to get a degree in that as well.
> 
> If it's bold, it's a flashback.

When Monday morning finally rolled around, Tony knew he was making the right decision. The only ones who'd checked on him at all since the container incident were Abby and Ducky. Of course most days lately they seemed to be the only ones who actually appreciated him. He'd spent all day Saturday with Abby. They talked, watched movies, and ate a fair amount of the food in his fridge. On Sunday, he'd gone over to Ducky's late in the morning. Ever since that protection detail they'd pulled when the crypt keepers were after Ducky, he spent his Sundays visiting with the man and his mother. Mrs. Mallard truly enjoyed the company of her "Italian Gigolo" and Tony liked her just as much. He'd even made her Tiramisu, her favorite dessert. While she was taking her afternoon nap, he spoke with Ducky at length about his decision.

**"I will support you no matter what you do, my boy. You are a wonderful Agent and you deserve better than they are treating you. You are a wonderful man as well Anthony. I don't know of any others your age who'd give up their entire Sunday just to entertain an elderly woman."**

**"Your mother's great Ducky. I've liked her since I first met her and she threatened to disembowel me," Tony said with a fond smile. "Good times."**

His phone began to beep, reminding him that he needed to leave. He pulled on his pea coat over his suit jacket, put his wallet and ID in his pocket, and clipped his phone, badge, and gun to his belt before locking up and heading down to his rental. He still hadn't gotten around to replacing his Corvette. He'd gotten the plague just a few days after he watched it totaled on national television. He surely didn't need a car in the two weeks he spent home recovering after two weeks in Bethesda. Then Kate…he just never replaced it. And right now that was looking like a good thing. Odds were he'd be leaving DC. He wasn't sure how to feel about that, but he was a quick adapter.

Sooner than he expected, he was at the Navy Yard. He quickly made his way through the gate, parked in his usual spot and made his way inside. He was grateful that the director requested such an early meeting time since he knew McGee and Ziva wouldn't get in until 0800 and Gibbs usually arrived at 0730. That meant he could move through the squad room and up to the director's office without being stopped. He did pause outside her office though, taking several deep breaths before knocking.

"Come in," came the soft voice from inside. Tony straightened his shoulders and opened the door. "Good morning director,"

"Good morning Agent DiNozzo. Why don't you hang up your jacket? This might take a while," Jenny said, motioning to the coat rack in the corner as she stood, picking up several folders from her desk. She took a seat at the head of the table, Tony sitting down next to her. "I have multiple openings so why don't we go over them all together first, then I'll let you have a day to make a decision."

"Sounds good," Tony said as he got ready to decide his future.

WBFT WBFT WBFT WBFT

Three months had passed since Tony had transferred from the MCRT to the USS Enterprise. He'd spent his first two weeks there working with Stan Burley, going over all recent and open cases, as well as learning the ropes. After those two weeks, he was left on his own as Agent Afloat while Stan took his place as TAD senior field agent on the MCRT. The two had become friends after working the meth case together and had kept in contact. When Tony discussed his issues with Stan, Stan made him an offer. They'd trade places for the rest of his scheduled four months on the Enterprise. After that assignment was fulfilled, they'd go to the director and discuss where to go from there. Stan was one of the few who truly enjoyed being an Agent Afloat and he knew how much Tony loved working on the MCRT, which is why he agreed to the switch. He knew if he took the post, he'd be able to relinquish it back to Tony whenever he wanted it. The good news was the director had no problem with this. The bad news was everyone else.

In true Gibbs fashion, when he'd found out about the switch, he'd gone straight to the director and yelled. It wasn't that he didn't like Stan. He knew the man was a capable agent, having worked with him for so long before he transferred. But he wanted DiNozzo. He recruited him, taught him the differences between being an agent and a homicide detective, he looked after the kid. He'd had enough of the director changing his team without his permission. She'd already messed with them once, he didn't want her doing anything else. Of course the director fought back, in that quiet voice of hers, giving him some BS story that Stan was up for a promotion and needed to brush up on his crime scene investigative skills so Tony offered to trade places with him for a few months. That story was easier to sell to the others, but Gibbs knew it wasn't true. When he found out, he'd gone straight to Tony's, where he found the younger man packing his clothes into a duffel bag.

**"Where the hell do you think you're going DiNozzo?"**

**"I think I'm going to the Enterprise Gibbs," he replied his voice giving away no emotion.**

**"And you just got this sudden urge to go sailing? You know I don't buy this story about Stan needing a refresher course. And even if he was offered a promotion to a team, we both know he wouldn't take it. He loves being an Agent Afloat."**

**"I needed a change okay?" Tony said wearily as he sat down on his bed. "I was talking to Stan about it and he offered to switch places for a few months. The director allowed it. It's not a big deal."**

**"It is a big deal! You don't get to quit this team. The only way you get to leave is when—"**

**"When I die right? Like I almost did from the plague? Like Kate did? You have no idea how I feel about any of that. You have no idea how many nights I've woken up from a nightmare about those damn blue lights, how many nights I've woken up to the feeling of her blood on my face. I thought I'd be okay eventually…that I could lean on my team, my family for support. Turns out we're not a family. Only two people seem to give a shit about me and you're not one of them. You care more about your precious Israeli who, by the way, hasn't proven that she can be trusted. Just because she saved your life doesn't mean that she's not the reason Kate's dead. She put together the dossiers, she told that bastard how to hurt you. She had orders to take him out, but instead she tried to prove him innocent and Kate was— that bullet damned her, but you let the other bullet redeem her. Good for you, but I don't trust her. Especially not after the bullshit she's pulled, especially this past week."**

**"And just what exactly was that?"**

**"Well let's see. First off, she seems to be obsessed with me," Tony said as he stood to face Gibbs. "And I'm not saying that because of my ego. She is constantly following me around, pushing herself into my personal space, digging into my life. You think she's asked anyone about McGee's personal life, or Abby's, or yours? No, she's asking everyone about me. If I want her to know anything about me, it'll come from me. She has no right to trick McGee into giving up info. She's trying to insinuate herself into this team. She was able to do it with you by saving your life. She's a strong woman so that's why McGee likes her. As for me she took it at face value that I'm a player so she's been trying to seduce me, which is why she is constantly in my face, which is pretty much sexual harassment at this point. When her little ploy didn't work, she started asking questions about me trying to figure out why. Maybe if we had met ten years ago it would have worked, but I'm not the same person and I'm not interested in her in any way shape or form. As for this past week specifically, let's not forget that she nearly shot me because she was dumb enough to fire a gun inside a sealed metal box." Tony said angrily. "There seems to have been a team party that all of you just neglected to mention until after the fact and you all took great delight in rubbing in the fact that I wasn't there."**

**"Hey, it's not our fault you had other plans."**

**"Is that what she told you? Good little liar that one. I bet you believed that, just like you believed her when she said I cut my arm on a crate. Do you know of a wood that can slice through three shirts and a thick, wool lined coat? Because I sure as hell don't. I was shot. Fortunately it was a through and through and they were able to stitch up the damage. But don't bother checking on me. Don't bother to verify the facts or believe me for that matter, good job breaking that rule by the way. Who's the one who's been your partner for nearly five years? It certainly wasn't that little girl. But go ahead, break rule one while you're at it. It's okay. Tony won't give a shit because he's just a clown right? You can dump on me all you want, but I am your Senior Field Agent and I am damn good at my job. I deserve to be treated with respect. That chick doesn't respect anyone and ever since she came McGee doesn't respect me either. You guys just let her right on in so easily. Well I'm sorry if this isn't easy for me. I almost died from the plague Gibbs. You weren't there for the worst of it. Kate was. She risked her own life to stay with me. Even after the bug was dead, she was by my side more often than not while I spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from severe pneumonia. We may have fought constantly, but Kate was my sister and I loved her. And now she's gone and you just moved right on, all of you. But I can't. So I'm done. I need a break from your little club of Tony haters. We both know Stan's a good guy and a great agent. He did this job before me and he'll do fine in my place."**

**"And when this assignment's over?" Gibbs asked. He knew that nothing he said was going to change Tony's mind. He could deny everything he just heard, but at this point it wouldn't make a difference. "Will you switch places with Stan again? Will you come back to my team?"**

**"Honestly? Right now, I don't know. It's only been a few months since everything happened and I'm tired. I'm tired of being treated like an idiot. I'm tired of being treated like I don't matter. I'm just tired Gibbs."**

**Neither man said anything for a few minutes, both just standing there processing everything that had been said, both looking everywhere but at each other. Surprisingly it was Gibbs who broke the silence.**

**"Look, DiNozzo, we both know I don't talk about this stuff, but since I already broke a couple of rules, I'm gonna break another one. I'm sorry. You're right, I believed what I was told and I never double checked. And I never checked to make sure you were alright after spending a day in a cold, damp, metal box. You're also right that I know you better than anyone on the team. I should have listened to you. I know how good an investigator you are. I wouldn't have stolen you from Baltimore if I didn't. You're the best young agent I ever worked with. I know you're not an idiot and I know you don't like to show off your skills in front of other people. I should have noticed what was going on, with Ziva and how she's been acting, with you. But I didn't, and I'm sorry. I never knew just how close you were to Kate. I didn't see how hard losing her has been on you. So I get it. The time away could be good for you. You'll be able to focus more on healing without having to worry about such huge, stressful cases. But you're wrong about one thing. We are a family. We may be dysfunctional at the moment, but we're still your family Tony. And I'm going to miss you. I'll try not to give Stan another ulcer while you're gone," Gibbs said with a smile.**

**"You know I think that's the most I've ever heard you say at one time?" Tony replied with a grin.**

**"I can talk when I need to. So do you need some help packing?"**

**"I'm not taking much. All my suits are staying here so I'm just filling up my duffel with my regular clothes, then there's my laptop and I've got my mp3 player for use in the gym, and that's it. My apartment's paid up til the end of the year. My neighbor's going to keep an eye on it for me and clean it twice a month."**

**"And you're really sure this is what you want to do?"**

**"I need to get away for a while, get my head on straight, drop the masks. I'll be back before you know it."**

**"You better be. I depend on you."**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For the purposes of this story, the Enterprise is in the Mediterranean. Also, I know Tony hated being afloat in Season 6, but this time it's of his own choice and there are different circumstances.
> 
> The below quote was said by Saphira in the novel Eragon by Christopher Paolini.

"Find peace in where and what you are."

 

Tony found life at sea to be somewhat peaceful. Sure he sometimes felt claustrophobic, sure not everyone liked him, but his job was fairly laid back. There'd been a few pranks that got out of hand, some fights he'd had to break up, petty thefts, but there were no murders, no kidnappings, nothing that required him to put in eighteen-hour days. It was a massive change of pace to the life he'd been living since he became a cop, but with everything he'd been through, he needed the calm. He'd been on the Enterprise for three and a half months now and he was more than recovered from the plague. He'd been on a strict exercise regimen since he'd recovered that helped him build up his lung capacity. With all his downtime on the ship, he spent five hours a day in the gym, three in the morning, and two at night. He was now in the best shape he'd been in since his college ball days. He was also free to just be himself for once in his life. He didn't need to hide his skills or his intelligence and he wore his glasses more often than his contacts.

Another new thing he'd done in his downtime was keeping a journal. He'd started once Stan left and he was the sole agent on the ship. Sometimes he wrote about his day or his nightmares, sometimes he wrote about Kate, sometimes he'd write poetry. He'd also taken to drawing. It was different then the sketching he'd do at a crime scene, but it helped him calm and focus his mind when his thoughts got out of control. Both practices were better therapy then seeing a shrink, he felt. They'd helped his mind recover from the past year. He no longer had nightmares about blue lights, waking up gasping for breath. He no longer had nightmares about Kate, waking up to the feel of her blood on his face. Now when he dreamt about his former partner, they were happy, full of teasing and smiles. Tony knew that he would always miss her. No one could ever replace her in his heart, but while he continued to say a novena and light a candle for her regularly, he had recovered from the loss. He was finally able to mourn properly and heal.

The ringing of the phone interrupted both his thoughts and his latest email to Abby. He'd already sent off his daily email to Gibbs and Ducky. It was ironic, but since he'd left, he'd become closer to all three of them. He found it was much easier to write about his thoughts and feelings than to admit to them out loud.

"Agent DiNozzo," he said as he picked up the phone.

"There's a video call for you in the communications room sir."

"I'm on my way," Tony said before he hung up. He grabbed his weapon and secured his office, heading up to the comm. room. When he arrived, he found the captain waiting there, but otherwise the room was empty. Once Tony entered, the captain closed the door, turning the room into a SCIF. He didn't say anything, just walked over to the control panel and turned the video on. Since the room was secure, they used the speaker to communicate instead of headphones.

"Agent DiNozzo, Captain Carson," Director Shepard said as she came up on the screen.

"Director. What can we do for you?" Tony asked.

"There was an...accident. The MCRT had an assignment and part of that assignment involved Agent Gibbs communicating with a deep cover agent onboard a ship. I won't go into the particulars of the assignment right now. Suffice it to say that things didn't go as planned. Agent Gibbs was led away from the designated meeting room and there was an explosion. He survived, but he's currently at Portsmouth General in a coma."

Tony paled significantly as he nearly fell over. The captain grabbed his arm when he started to go down and helped him into a chair. "Is—is he going to be alright?"

"He's stable, but still in critical condition. The rest of the MCRT is investigating this. I agreed it'd be better for them to do it then bring in another team. Agent Burley currently has the lead, but he specifically requested I bring you back to lead the team. I know this is hard," Jenny said in a soft voice. "This has been hard on everyone, but I need to know if you can do this. I need to know if you can lead the MCRT, not only in this investigation, but temporarily until Gibbs is healed and ready to take it back."

Tony sat there, absorbing everything he was told, but he was having a hard time processing it. What went so wrong that Gibbs had been injured so badly? Where was the rest of the team? Was he truly ready to dive headfirst back into the deep end?

**"I'll be back."**

**"You better be," Gibbs said. "I depend on you."**

Those were the last words Gibbs said to him before he left for the Enterprise. He took a deep breath. He could do this. He had to do this. Although they'd had their rough patches, he knew his boss always had his six and vice versa. He was ready.

"I can do this Director. Have Stan email me both the details of their assignment and everything they have so far. I'll review it on my way back."

"I have a COD on stand-by. It'll take you to the base in Naples," the captain said.

"The SecNav is there at a conference. He's offered his Gulfstream to fly you home. This case is a top priority. It'll be ready to go in 3 hours. That should give you enough time to pack your belongings and get to the base. I'll have Agent Burley fax over everything they have to our office there," Jenny continued. "Agent Jackson is going to hop the COD back to the ship and remain as Agent Afloat until we have this case solved. We'll figure out what to do after that."

"Yes ma'am," both Tony and the captain said. They cut the transmission and stood facing each other. "You're a good agent Tony. We're going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too Cap. You've been a good friend. I'll get a hold of you in a couple weeks when we have a plan of action."

"No problem. Go on and get packed. COD's ready to go whenever you are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who don't know: COD stands for Carrier Onboard Delivery.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brief mention of the episode Baltimore. So brief you might miss it if you blink. Brief mention of Wendy as well, but it's an AU so I changed up how that relationship ended. Italics are flashbacks.
> 
> TIME notice: This episode aired in May so sunset's around 7:30pm aka 1930. Naples, Italy is 6 hours ahead of Washington DC, which means if Tony got up at 5am Naples time, it was 11pm aka 2300 the previous night in DC. So by the time he gets to the yard, he's been up for 20 1/2 hours.

Tony's first stop upon his arrival at the Norfolk International Airport was to Portsmouth General to both check in with the director, as well as see Gibbs and get an update on his condition. Originally the plane had been set to take him DC, but he needed to see the man for himself. Fortunately the pilot was able to change course without a problem, saving the agent a 3 hour drive.

"Director Sheppard," Tony said softly as he entered Gibbs' room. "How is he?"

"He's stable, but he's in a coma," the director replied as they moved to the back corner of the room. "Have you caught yourself up on the investigation?"

"Both on this case so far and the team's assignment prior to the explosion. I also spoke to Stan on the plane who gave me a full sitrep. He caught me up on everything new, which wasn't much. Abby's still running trace on the bomb and DNA and Ducky's still working on the autopsy."

"Good. If you need anything else to get this done and find the bomber, just let me know."

"Yes Ma'am. Does the team know I'm coming?"

"I've asked Agent Burley to inform them."

Several doctors and nurses entered the room then and began looking over their patient. Tony stood silently next to the director and watched them work. 

A few minutes later, the doctor interrupted their discussion of how to wake the agent with coffee, telling them the head neurologist would be taking over. When the director asked the neurologist if Gibbs was in pain, the man turned around and asked them about the marine's past. Tony knew all about it of course. When Gibbs had offered him the job working at NCIS, he ran a full background on the man. After what he had just gone through with Danny, he refused to blindly partner up with anyone again. So he'd found out all about the marine's injuries overseas, found out about the tragedy of Kelly and Shannon's deaths. He never told the older man he knew though. He'd been through enough tragedy in his own life and it was never something he felt comfortable talking about. He knew the older man was the same.

Once the doctors were done, the director decided to stay at the hospital, while Tony headed off to DC in the car he'd rented at the airport. As soon as he arrived at the yard, his first stop was Autopsy, where he found Ducky staring at a cat scan. "Ah, Anthony my dear boy. I am grateful to see you, but this is a terrible way to welcome you home, I'm afraid."

"Not exactly how I imagined coming back either Ducky. Hey Palmer," Tony called over his shoulder.

"Hey Tony. Welcome back."

"So what happened to your guest here?"

The ME gave his report on the autopsy so far and after discussing the oil drum conundrum, he asked "Have you been to see Jethro?"

"Yeah, headed over as soon as I landed. He's doesn't look too bad, but he's still unconscious. The director's with him."

"I better get to the hospital."

"Not until you're finished here. There's nothing you can do for him at the hospital anyway. We need you."

"You're right. I will complete the autopsy before heading over. It's good to have you back Tony."

"It's good to see you too Ducky. I'm going to go check in with Abby, see if she's gotten a hit on the DNA yet," he said as he turned to leave. Just outside autopsy, he stood leaning against the wall. The sun was beginning to set already and he was exhausted. He'd gotten up at 0500 on the carrier that morning, done his usual three hours at the gym before catching up on all his paperwork. He'd finished that by 1000 and then he got to work on his emails to everyone back home. Things had been awkward at first with both Gibbs and Abby. He'd made a bit of peace with them before he left, but it wasn't until he'd been gone about a month that things truly went back to normal in their relationships. Though in the case of his relationship with his boss, things returned to their old normal…the before Kate normal.

Before Kate had joined their team at NCIS, there had been Vivian Blackadder. She came onto the team not long after Tony finished FLETC. At that time, Tony was still engaged to his girlfriend Wendy. He'd proposed to her just two weeks before he left Baltimore and she'd stayed with him through the upheaval with his job and move to DC. She'd followed a few weeks later and moved in with him. She got a job teaching at a school in the city and had met both his teammates when she came to see him at work one day. They stayed together for 6 months after his move. Then the 3 happened. Bad things always come in threes. The first thing was getting his wrist broken by a perp that had fought back. The second thing was Vivian deciding to head back to the FBI after she nearly got the team killed and let a terrorist escape. The final thing was Wendy deciding she could no longer marry him, just two months before the wedding was scheduled. He'd been heartbroken. His boss found him one night asleep at his desk, a few days after the breakup.

_"What are you doing here Tony?" Gibbs asked softly._

_"Hey Gibbs," the younger man replied groggily. "I was just finishing up some paperwork. Must have fallen asleep."_

_"Really? Because I know for a fact you finished all the paperwork six hours ago. So how about the real reason now?"_

_"I don't want to go home okay?" He said as he rubbed his hands over his face. "Wendy left me. I got home from work the other day and she already had all her stuff packed up and in a truck she rented. That apartment was our place ya know? I just can't face the emptiness of it."_

_"Tony," Gibbs said softly, pulling over a chair. "I'm going to break a rule for you here and I don't plan to ever do it again, so pay attention. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I know how much you loved her. I've been married three times myself and each one of them has left me. It's never easy and it's always painful. It'll get easier in time. And if the apartment was your place, why don't you just get a new one when the lease is up? You can even stay with me until then."_

That was how Tony came to live in his three bedroom condo. He hadn't been looking to buy, but when he saw the condo and the building, he fell in love. The fact it had soundproofing was an added bonus. He'd be able to play his piano or guitar, have his surround sound for his movies and no one would bother him about the noise. The place he'd been staying with Wendy had been a monthly lease, so by the end of that month, he was moved into his new place. He didn't really have much to move. It was mostly his TV and movies. He bought all new furniture, including a new bed, which he had custom made. It was the length of a California King, the only one long enough his feet wouldn't hang off the end, but the width was only that of a full size bed. He didn't need anything bigger. He wasn't planning on ever having another woman in his bed. He also had his mother's baby grand piano pulled out of storage and brought to the new place.

The ding of the elevator pulled him from his thoughts. Before he could move to stand up, McGee crashed into him and the two went down hard, Tony's nose getting whacked in the process. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," McGee said as he helped Tony off the floor. Tony merely held up his free hand, the other clutching his nose. The older man pointed to the elevator and they both got in, facing each other as McGee hit the button for their bullpen.

"It's too bad you hate the sight of blood Tim," Tony said, moving his hand away from his nose to reveal the massive blood flow under it. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. "Now, what was so important that you had to tackle me?"

"Abby slapped Ziva and Ziva slapped her back."

"Are you serious?" He asked angrily. "Why?"

That was not the reaction McGee had been expecting. He expected Tony to get all excited or upset because he missed it. Clearly his time away had changed him. "Uh—they were fighting about Gibbs. Ziva was acting like she doesn't care that he's hurt."

"Alright, I want you to get them both up here; Stan too when he's done in MTAC," Tony said when the elevator opened. "I'm going to grab my bag from my car and get cleaned up. I'll be back in twenty."

"Tony, I really am sorry," McGee said a sad little frown on his face.

"I know kid. It's good to see you. I like the haircut."

"Thanks. It's good to see you again too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was originally posted over on FFN, but when I copied it over to here, I did a little editing on the chapter, so if you've read it there and noticed a difference, that's why. I'm currently moving my NCIS fics to here from FFN to get away from the psycho ziva fan flamers so I probably won't update the chapter on that website.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There will be Ziva bashing in this chapter. Sadly, I lost the original write-up of the scene between Ziva and Sam to the end of the chapter. It somehow disappeared from my computer. So I've had to re-write the whole thing. 
> 
> Tony timeline note: According to Split Decision in season 1, Kate guesses Tony's age as 32, which puts his birth year at 1972 based on the air date. Hiatus aired two years later, so in this he's 34. He graduated college at 22, then spent the next two years recovering from the leg break so he officially joined the force at 24, making him a cop/agent for a combined 10 years.

Within 24 hours, Tony remembered why he left. Two words: Ziva David aka pompous jerk, aka little miss holier than though, I'm better than you, spoiled princess. If he had to listen to her go on one more time about her infinite Mossad contacts and wonderful interrogation techniques, not to mention the number of languages she spoke, he was going to punch her straight in her smug little face. She was not the ranking officer so she needed to shut up and get her over-inflated ego, aka head, out of her ass or she'd find herself suspended for insubordination. As it stood, he already had a bloody nose for coming back.

After showering away the blood, he changed into a sweater and jeans, as well as his glasses. His eyes were tired enough without the added irritation of his contacts. He also decided to take a fifteen minute break and run out for some espresso. He was off his schedule and dealing with a time difference and jet lag too. Fortunately he didn't have to go far. Just a few blocks from the Yard was a little Italian bistro run by Sofia Cavallo, his first "girlfriend" after the move to DC. He'd met her about two months after his move. They'd had a tough case and after everything that happened recently with Baltimore, Danny, and the case, he was in need of some comfort. So when he came across the bistro on his walk home, he decided to stop in. Sofia, who both owned the place and worked there, took one look at him and instantly adopted him as her grandson. Coincidentally, she also owned and lived in the same building he'd bought his condo a few months later. In fact, many of his "girlfriends" lived in the same building. Of course he never told anyone most of them were old enough to be either his mother or grandmother. He loved them all though and took good care of them.

A loud squeal broke him from his thoughts and a moment later he was nearly tackled by the little old lady jumping into his arms. "Grazie Dio, grazie Dio," she mumbled over and over while kissing his face all over. It took Tony literally two minutes to get her to relax enough that he could put her down. She immediately grabbed his hands though. "Mio Tonio, I'm so happy to see you. When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I didn't get a chance. I was called back to work a case. I haven't even been home, or to sleep yet. I just came in for some coffee."

"Siedi, siedi. I'll get you something to eat and drink," she said as she led him over to a stool at the bar. She disappeared into the kitchen and returned five minutes later with a plate full of little balls and a large mug. "Ham and arugula Stromboli bites and the Tony Special," Sofia said as she sat the items down in front of him. The drink, aka the Tony Special, was a strong espresso mixed with chocolate and hazelnuts, designed to give energy but still satisfy the sweet tooth. The man simply smiled at the woman before taking a long sip and attacking the plate of food with gusto. He'd been awake forever it seemed and he honestly couldn't remember the last time he ate something. He felt truly blessed to have Sofia in his life.

Ten minutes later, the plate was clean and his mug was empty. "I really should be getting back to work," he said softly to the woman, who had been sitting next to him since she brought out the food. "I can't be gone too long. This is a time-sensitive case." Without saying a word, Sofia got up and walked back into the kitchen. She returned to his side a minute later with a large paper coffee cup.

"You take that with you. It should give you the energy to get through the night. Then I want you to go home and get some rest. You can't get by on caffeine alone mi amore."

"I'll do my best. I love you nonna," he whispered as he wrapped her up in his arms.

"I love you too, Tonio. Now, you go back to work. And don't even think of trying to pay me. I'll come make you some food tomorrow." She sent him away after another tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

WBFT WBFT

Tony was in a good mood, until he walked into the bullpen and heard an arrogant "AH HA!" He rolled his eyes and took the money from McGee's hand as he passed. "Hey!" The woman protested.

"I'm taking the pot if you're betting on me. Do I even want to know what you bet on? Whether or not I'd come back bloody?

"We bet on whether you would return with coffee," Ziva explained. "I knew you would try to act like Gibbs," she said smugly. Stan, who was standing on the other side of the partition behind Ziva's desk talking to Balboa, didn't even wait. As soon as those words left the woman's mouth, he called the director to warn her of the impending fireworks.

"I didn't know Gibbs had a monopoly on drinking coffee. And for your information, this is an espresso mix, not that it's any of your business. Now stop fooling around and get back to work. McGee, tell me what you've got."

"You are not Gibbs," Ziva stated.

"No, the last time I checked, my name was DiNozzo. Now, McGee--"

"You should not be leading this team," Ziva interrupted. "You do not have the skills to deal with something like this."

Every agent within hearing distance stood up to defend Tony at that moment. Even Abby, who had just come off the back elevator, as summoned, looked ready to go at her. Instead, it was Balboa who got there first. He came around the partition and stood directly in front of the assassin. "And just who the hell do you think you are?" He exploded.

"Sam," Tony said, putting his hand on the man's shoulder. "Don't do this. Just let it go."

"No, I've had enough of this. We all have," he said softly. "She needs to know. They both do."

The two men looked at each other and Sam could see the quiet acquiescence in Tony's eyes. He knew his friend liked to keep his life to himself, but it was time that "Team Gibbs" knew the truth about their SFA. "You have no idea about his qualifications do you?"

"Oh please, he is not qualified to lead a cow to water."

"Tony DiNozzo is more qualified than you could ever be. Not only has he been a cop 10 years, which is more impressive and gives him more insight then you seem to believe, but he also holds multiple degrees. In college he double majored in Physical education and film, while maintaining a high GPA as well as playing both football and basketball, scholarships for which put him through school. He graduated with honors and he's got his masters in physical education, which you seem to think means nothing, but a lot of the classes required are the same classes that med students take. He's also got a masters in forensics, computer science, film and criminology. Just because he became a cop, doesn't mean he's stopped going to school. He's also been to nearly every seminar this agency offers and speaks 6 languages, which you'd know if you bothered to get to know the man. And for your information, he does speak Turkish, so your importance here Officer David, is not as high as you seem to believe." Ziva opened her mouth to retort, but Sam cut her off. "Don't even think his father's money had anything to do with this. He hasn't spoken to his father in twenty years. So let's recap shall we? He more than meets the requirements for a senior field agent, not to mention he finished top of his class in an accelerated course at FLET-C and holds multiple records, he's also an excellent shot, a great agent, and a good man. Everyone in this building likes him and several of us owe him more than he knows.

"Now, let's talk about you, and your qualifications. You are Mossad. You are an assassin, not an investigator. You have had absolutely no training that would allow you to be a part of the Major Crimes Response Team. You may speak English, but you don't understand American culture and you sure as hell don't understand idioms. It's lead a _horse_ to water by the way. You know nothing about American laws, and you sure hold no regard for them considering the way you often break them, like picking the locks to get into a building, or how about the way you drive? You did not earn a spot on this team. You were handed it on a silver platter because the director likes you. Well guess what? She's about the only one. Every agent in this office who has ever interacted with you or seen you interact with your Senior Field Agent has written you up multiple times for insubordination. The only reason the director hasn't received those reports is because Tony told us not to send them. Well I can guarantee after today she'll be flooded with them.

"You seem to think you deserve to be the senior agent on this team. Let me let you in on a secret little girl. You need to actually be an agent to become an SFA. You are not an agent, you are not an investigator, hell, you're not even a citizen. You have no place on this team. You weren't picked for it like McGee and you sure didn't earn your place on it. You've done nothing but undermine Tony since the day you got here. You think you're entitled to something because your daddy's the deputy director of Mossad? All I see is a spoiled princess trying to get her daddy's attention. If you can't have his, then you'll commandeer Gibbs'. I mean you did kill your brother for him didn't you? But don't you dare think that no one knows you are the reason that Kate Todd is dead. We all know you put together the profiles on the MCRT for your bastard brother. We know you're the reason he killed Kate, why he tried to kill Abby. And we all know that you sweet talked your way onto the investigation into him after he murdered one of our own so that you could try to protect him. You disgust me.

"You have no place on this team or in this agency. We will all be filing our reports with the director today, as well as our recommendations that she transfer you, at the very least off this team, hopefully out of DC because not one person in this building wants to work with you. First off, you shouldn't have access to anything, let alone anything classified. Second, we do not trust you to have our backs, when you clearly don't have your own team's. So you back the hell off DiNozzo. He's more than twice the agent you could ever hope to be."

The silence was deafening at first, before it was replaced by applause. Ziva looked around at all the smiling faces and stormed off. She didn't know how anyone had found out what she'd done, both for and against Ari, but she hid her shock well. She knew now though that she was done. There was no way Jenny would let her stay, no matter how much the woman owed her. She could only hope that she'd be allowed to stay in the country.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first half of the last chapter got lost with the original version of the Ziva smackdown, so sadly that's been partially re-written as well. 
> 
> Nonna is Italian for Grandma
> 
> Siedi is Italian for sit
> 
> Grazie Dio is Italian for Thank God
> 
> Mio is my
> 
> Languages: Tony speaks: Italian, Spanish, French, German, Turkish, and Portuguese. He learned Turkish because one of his elderly neighbors is a widowed Turk and the man speaks it better than English. So Tony learned it so he could communicate with the man.


	7. Chapter 7

The following days were truly the first time Jenny Sheppard hated her job as director of NCIS. True to his word, her email and paper inbox had both started overflowing almost immediately with reports other agents had written up against Officer Ziva David, following the show down, the first one dating two days after she was officially a member of the MCRT. There were hundreds of infraction reports and she'd spent most of that night and the next morning reading them. She'd spent the entire afternoon on the phone and in MTAC with dozens of team leaders, putting out feelers to see if Ziva would be welcomed anywhere. Jenny was surprised to learn just how much those other leads valued DiNozzo and they all admitted that after what they'd heard of the Mossad officer, none were keen to work with her. Eventually she made the one call she didn't want to, which put her in touch with Special Agent in Charge Lara Macy. Macy ran a high level spec ops team based in LA which focused on terrorism. They'd had assignments around the world and it was the only place she could find to stash Ziva until this whole mess blew over. She could force the team lead to take the officer as Ziva's contacts would come in handy with their work, but she knew that Macy would limit what the woman had access to. Balboa had been right. Ziva wasn't an actual agent of NCIS. She was there on behalf of Mossad and that was where her loyalties lied. She shouldn't have a high clearance level or access to anything classified, and that included MTAC.

By the end of the week, a major upheaval had occurred for the small DC agency. Gibbs was gone. His memory had started to return, but the loss of his girls was too recent for him to deal with. Not that he'd ever really processed it in the first place. So he ran away from it all to spend his days on a beach with his old boss. He'd left Tony in charge of the team with a simple "You'll do." Hardly a confidence booster, but anyone who knew Gibbs knew that it was a ringing endorsement. Many of the agents, as well as employees of NCIS were thrilled for him and took over an entire restaurant for a night to throw him a party and celebrate. The day after Gibbs "retired," Ziva received her transfer orders. The director had fought long and hard with Agent Macy, but eventually got the other woman to relent. A direct order as her boss had helped. So once again the MCRT was back to just three men. Stan had decided to stay on as SFA. All three men knew McGee was nowhere near ready for the job, plus odds were the director would give them a probie and he didn't want Tony to have to deal with training two new team members. He was good enough friends with the man though to admit he was happy when Tony got the promotion. He deserved it.

The director did in fact ask them to use a probie, but she let the team pick the agent as a group instead of forcing someone on them. That was a mistake she didn't plan to make again. It'd brought her more grief than she'd ever care to admit. Michelle Lee was greener than McGee had been, but all three had taken her under their wings. At the end of every work "week," the team got together at Tony's for dinner, where they hung out and decompressed. It started as a team building exercise but quickly became a regular thing. They even invited Abby and the autopsy squad sometimes. Abby was becoming easier to handle in high doses though after a long talk with Tony. He reminded her that she never used to act this way. She didn't go all out with the heels and skirts and overboard with the Caf-Pow and Gibbs worship until after Kate had died. The girl had spent a few days reflecting after that, and had a nice long chat with the sisters, before coming to the conclusion that he was right. She was much more laid back before she lost her best friend. She vowed to find a cohesive mesh between the Abby she'd been then and the Abby she was now. She also promised not to pick on everyone so much. Just because she was hurt by Gibbs' departure didn't mean she was the only one.

As for Michelle, after a few months she started showing real potential. They'd initially chosen her due to her law background, knowing her contacts would come in handy, but she showed a true interest in becoming a field agent. Each man had something different to teach her and she listened closely to everything they told her. As with all things in her life, she wanted to do her best. She also didn't want to let anyone down. Eventually she'd become so comfortable with the team that as soon as her little sister, who she was raising, was kidnapped, she went straight to Tony. She showed up at his door at 2am shaking and barely holding back tears. She explained what happened and while it took a week, the team was able to use the text messages she received to find the bad guy and save the little girl. The bad guy was just another loser with something against the navy. He planned to use Michelle to get classified information he could sell to our enemies as payback for his marriage falling apart. His wife was a Lieutenant and she'd been out at sea for a year. They'd been having trouble for months and it finally came to a head the day she got back home on a two week leave. He killed her in a fit of rage and decided, in his deluded brain, that it was the navy's fault so he went after the easiest target he could find. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't counting on the agent to tell her team lead. He wasn't expecting the ambush, the swat team outside his house. He was taken out by a sniper when he tried to use the small girl as a human shield. It didn't work so well considering his six foot frame.

The crisis cemented the team together as one cohesive unit. They were given a week off after all was said and done to recuperate. Michelle was afraid to go home though, especially since they lived alone. So naturally the two Lees moved in with Tony. He had a large, three bedroom apartment and it didn't take much work to move the girls in. Michelle's apartment had been pretty sparse and she didn't want to keep any of the furniture she had. She didn't want anything that reminded her of the place her sister had been kidnapped from. Amanda had taken to Tony immediately and spending a week with him had helped her begin to heal. He did force both her and her sister into therapy though.

When the team returned from their time off, they found Gibbs waiting at Tony's desk. Apparently he wanted his job back. The director knew she could not split up her new MCRT. The team worked so well together. There was hardly any friction and while the first few weeks were awkward, they became a solid, cohesive unit and their case closure rate was actually three percent higher than Gibbs' former team. But the director also knew that Gibbs was very good at his job, so she decided to create a second MCRT, headed by Gibbs and gave him a new team. One member was Special Agent Brett Langer, an FBI agent he'd worked with before and liked well enough. Langer had wanted to make the jump to NCIS for a while. He was also given a tech savvy, but seasoned, senior field agent. For the final member he insisted Ziva be brought back. This caused some friction, obviously, but it was Gibbs, so everyone expected that. People were still icy towards her when she returned, but this time she at least had learned to respect her superiors and learned that she needed to do as told without arguing and belittling people. The NCIS human resource seminars, as well as working with Callan, Nate and Macy, had helped straighten her out.

When Gibbs finally remembered everything, he and Tony hashed things out over cowboy steaks and beers. They were both disappointed to no longer be teammates, but they both agreed that this was for the best. It was time for them both to move on. It was time to do what was best for Tony.

The End.


End file.
